The Wild Flower
by Matron of Madness
Summary: All the flowers in the Emperor's garden wore masks that hid their true faces and intentions from his eyes, deceiving him with every fake smile and kind gesture they made. But in the midst of them all, standing right in the middle of their scorn, was a wild flower; a woman of raw emotion and sincerity. She was unrefined - and she was beautiful. / Shall We Date: Heian Love.
1. Prologue: Intrigue

_I don't own Heian Love! All credit goes to NTT Solmare!_

* * *

**Prologue: Intrigue**

Their first meeting hadn't been especially grand, to put it lightly. He'd approached her with a calm and confident air, as expected of the respected Emperor Kuze, while all she had done to prove her own worth as his new court lady was stumble over her words and exclaim all too enthusiastically (and rather loudly) how much of an honor it was to be there. He hadn't taken any offense to her excitable behavior, but her ending up being labeled a wild flower by him hadn't been exactly what she had in mind.

Of course, Hinata was always there to console her that perhaps he had meant it as a compliment, where she would then stare at her blankly as if she had just suggested they go play in a moat of acid.

On the other end, he would retire from his duties that day to sit in his room and reminisce on his decisions, only to find out that, instead, his nightly boredom and inability to sleep brought on curiosity of the over-enthusiastic wild flower he had met for the first time only hours before.

She would receive a poem with words of love and admiration written upon them, and her heart soared at the thought of someone staring at her from afar. Hinata threw out the different possibilities of who the Mystery Poet could possibly be, and of course, Emperor Kuze would be one of the first names mentioned. The court lady of course would scrunch her nose and scrutinize the first moments of their meeting, then realize there was no way a man like him could ever look at her as anything other than exactly what he saw her as – an unrefined lady. A wild flower.

And he was ruled out.

* * *

Kuze raised his hand to deliver three short knocks on the wooden slide doors in front of him, straightening his posture as he waited for the footsteps he heard scuffling behind it to make their way towards him. With one swift moment, the door was flung to the side, revealing the parky young woman that he had seen walking around with his new court lady on numerous occasions only the other day.

Her reaction was not one of joy, as he had expected, but instead a look of surprise. "O-oh! Emperor!" She seemed to be working through a list of possible ways to greet him, but he offered a small nod of his head to try and calm her down, lest the poor girl go into shock.

"I hope I am not intruding," he started carefully, shifting his eyes neatly to sneak a glance behind her. The house was mildly darkened, though he could see a little flicker of light further in, indicating that either she or someone else had still been awake.

The pink-haired woman shook her head quickly. "Not at all!" She scuffled to the side quickly and motioned for him to come in. He would be lying if he did not admit to being wary, what with it being rather late into the night. He had hardly expected anyone to answer the door and found himself wondering why any normal person would be up at this hour, himself aside... if he was considered. "Is there something I can help you with?" She spoke merrily as she closed the door behind him.

"I find myself here to visit my new court lady, actually." She seemed to not be surprised this time, having figured that was why he'd come already, no doubt. She nodded and muttered a few pleasantries as she motioned for him to follow, and he moved along with her into the house. It was not large, not compared to many of the others around it, but the lack of furnishings made it seem a lot more spacious. Random items piled around here and there indicated that they had not finished setting things up fully.

The perky girl ran ahead of him a bit, turning into one of the rooms to the left. He heard her muttering a fews things to whom he would assume to be Mikase Suzuka, said court lady he'd been contemplating for a while. When he turned into the room as well, he caught their conversation at its worst.

"It's terrible, Lady Suzuka! Emperor Kuze is here!" Her servant was bent down slightly to have better eye contact with the raven haired woman, whom sat on the floor with a candle burning in front of her, quite the mess of papers sprawled around her lap. She proceeded to gape at her words before grasping onto the situation.

"What?" Her tone was surprised, not offensive. Despite that, he raised his hand and coughed into his fist quietly, gathering both their attentions. Hinata gasped and blushed at the embarrassment of being caught, whereas Suzuka simply stared at him for a moment before hastily trying to push her messy black hair from her face, wearing a perplexed expression.

"This is not quite the welcome I had expected," Kuze stated, his eyebrow raising slightly at the odd pair. Hinata quickly dismissed herself and muttered an apology to him on her way out, notably sending her friend a glance as she ducked out. There was something strange about her.

Suzuka seemed to consider her words carefully for a moment before darting her eyes back to her lap, where she gently moved a paper from it and stood up, bowing her head. "I... apologize. I just wasn't expecting your company, is all! A-ah... um... it's a pleasure to have you, though."

He seemed to contemplate her demeanor for a moment before walking further into the room. "You are a terrible liar, but the sentiment is appreciated." He opted to make her feel less tense, and went over towards the opposite wall, sliding down to sit against it. She got the message and sat back where she had been moments before, pushing the candle slightly between them for more light.

"Is it alright if I ask what brings you here tonight?" She hesitated while talking, shifting uncomfortably beneath his unwavering gaze. For a moment, it was hard for him to believe this was the same woman that had been practically yelling out her excitement when they had spoken earlier. He kept a bored expression.

"I came to inquire about a poem you received," he answered, shifting his chin up as if it were a serious matter. Her face flushed in perfect timing with his words, and for a moment, he thought she must've been mortified into complete silence.

"Has that news reached even you!" She gasped once she found her voice again, bringing her hand up to pull at a strand of her hair. It was the first little tick he noticed about her, at that moment. Something that she would do when embarrassed.

"Do not underestimate boredom in the capitol, Miss Mikase." The corner of his mouth twitched, indicating he had to hold back a smile at her reaction. "I figured I would lend my assistance in discovering the identity of this man. I have little else to do at these hours."

"R-really?" She didn't seem to exactly know what to say to that, but the look on her face told him that she didn't exactly need to tell him her answer. She wasn't going to turn him down, even if she wanted to, and it would seem that by the lack of distaste on her face, she didn't anyways.

"Tell me about this ordeal of yours." He gestured to her, leaning forward to rest his elbow on his knee, and in turn, his hand under his chin.

"Well, I... received a very nice poem not too long ago, actually." She looked like she regretted saying that, because no doubt she realized that was already very obvious. He didn't chide her on it, however, and simply regarded her words.

"Nice, eh? That's a very... dull way of expressing your feelings about it." The words seemed to send her into a panic, because she shifted slightly, the papers rustling underneath her legs.

"Well... I apologize, I don't have that large a vocabulary." He accepted her explanation and then nodded his head in the direction of the poem, which he could see sitting neatly on a table in the room. It was common sense she would have that folded more neatly than the mess she had around the floors. She scrambled to retrieve it and opened the folds, clearing her throat gently. "Lonely at night, Thinking of my rose, Poems a sole respite, On the road I chose."

Kuze had a contemplative look on his face as he regarded her once more, and she must've sensed that he was about to ask something important. "What do you think of this poem?" Her momentary confusion confirmed she didn't know exactly why that would be important for him to know, but she didn't dare leave it unanswered.

"Oh, I think it's very lovely! Especially when you read it aloud." She rested the paper gingerly back on the table. He once again nodded to accept her answer, but didn't ask anything else. Already he could tell she had no idea who it was that had sent her the poem, and for that reason, he felt oddly disappointed.

He considered going on about it, but something else captured his intrigue. While she sat waiting for him to say something else, obviously nervous she would do something stupid, he took time to look at the papers scattered around the floors. There were various drawings on them, some painted even, and he vaguely wondered if he'd interrupted something important. He hardly minded the mess, much to his surprise.

"What are all of these?"

Suzuka gasped, as if she'd forgotten they were on the floor at all and waved her arms in front of her chest. "Doodles, that's all. I draw when I'm unable to sleep... At any rate, they aren't very good. Definitely not where my forte lies, I assure you. I'm sorry for the mess, however, Emperor." She bowed her head in apology. He pursed his lips.

"And where does your forte lie?" He studied her reaction, already expecting the stunned look on her face. She was a very animated woman. Her head cocked to the side, her brows furrowing together. Another tick she had, when she was considering something.

"Music," she stated carefully, as if she were afraid of speaking the word. Most court women prided themselves on their abilities with incense or the talent they had for keeping their house and gardens looking luxurious. But here was the wild flower of his court, where if one had asked her what she loved most of all about the world, she would reply, of all things, 'music'. "The violin, to be exact."

"Oh?" Kuze leaned forward, letting his interest show despite himself. She fidgeted shyly. "Do you currently have one?"

"Oh, um, no, unfortunately. I made a few sacrifices on what to bring along with me when I moved here. We didn't want to crowd the place and all that." He found that quite curious, with how little boxes she'd seemed to have. By knowing her father, he knew she didn't come from the highest of classes, but had she really been expecting her new home to be all that small? By her standards, perhaps that was the case.

"I see..." And for some reason, there was a note of that made in the back of his mind, one that would nag at him for some time, no doubt. A grave look fell over her features, however, which caused him to freeze. He sat up in concern, his eyes narrow. "Miss Mikase?"

"Was that the wind?" The crinkle in her brow was back, a frightened frown pulling on her lips. He listened with her and realized the sound of something running smoothly outside the window. He slowly stood up and walked over to her, fixing her with a gentle gaze. "...It's okay," he murmured soothingly, to which her eyes widened. The glass behind him shattered, breaking a mirror nearby in the process. It caused her to jump up from where she sat in panic.

Not particularly surprised by the attack, as he had found him ever cautious of such things, he easily reacted. Drawing the blade he kept by his side, he turned around and held it up in time for it to clash together with that of a demon's – or rather, a man wearing the mask of one. He used the strength in his arms to push him back, causing the attacker to stumble towards the damage he'd caused on the side of the room. Kuze's lips pressed together in agitation, and if not slight worry for the woman clearly panicking behind him.

He dashed forward and metal clashed against metal once more – twice, three times. The 'demon' let out a harsh growl and aimed his sword lower, but the Emperor side-stepped him and pushed the blade into his side, listening as a sharp hiss from the pain came from behind the man's mask. He heard a quiet voice grunt, one that was clearly familiar, but before he got a chance to do any further action; the man was gone. He sighed heavily, narrowing his eyes at the broken glass on the floor.

The Emperor sheathed his sword and stared at the window in wonder, though he immediately realized he should have been careful. Turning his attention to his court lady, he startled when he noticed her trembling, seated once more on the paper-strewn floor. He quickly walked over in front of her and leaned down, reaching out his hands to rest on her shoulders.

"Miss Mikase? Are you injured?" She shook her head in response and flinched away from his touch, which only caused him to frown. "Hey... you don't have to push away from me so readily, you know?" It had not been out of respect or worry of being close to him, but because she was frightened, which made him feel worse.

"I-I just need a moment," she murmured, her gaze averting to the side.

"I understand and... I apologize. I did not intend to bring you danger this night." Panicked as she was, she managed a smile.

"That's not your fault. This... this is why you don't ever send notification of your visits, right?" He nodded gravely at her question, to which a look of understanding came to her features. "Oh... well, you're okay, aren't you?" Her voice immediately rose, though out of fear instead of excitement. He preferred to hear her babble about happy things than speak short and fearfully, he noticed.

"A few scratches, nothing to be worried about. I do believe I should leave you for this night, however. I suppose I will have to return some other time to discuss the business of the Mystery Poet with you." He also made a mental note to send someone over to clean up the damage caused by his attacker. He stood up, offering her a hand as he did so. It took good effort on his part, half having to hold her up to keep her from falling back down. By time she was back on her feet and the shaking had stopped, Hinata had reentered, her eyes wide with worry.

"Miss Suzuka, are you alright! I heard something and came running!" The Emperor looked up at the woman, moving from her way as she rushed over to help her friend, clearly worried to death if someone like her had forgotten pleasantries. He began to show himself out before turning around and pausing, taking in the sight of the slightly shaken, yet unbelievably brave face of the wild flower that particular night. She met his gaze and blinked. She looked even more unrefined, shaken from danger, little drops of paint stained into her clothing from the calm moments before he'd arrived, with hair tied up messily yet somehow still in her face all the same.

She opened her mouth as if to apologize once more for some reason or another, perhaps taking his scrutiny as a bad sign, but he raised his hand and smiled unreadably. "It will be alright for the rest of the night, Miss Mikase. Please do not worry... I had better get back." He paused once more, mulling over his thoughts, before he added in, "I genuinely look forward to getting to know more about you." And for an instance, he started to think that was not a formality statement. She just nodded dumbly and watched as he exited her home.

On his way back, the Emperor thought of how he knew so little of this woman, yet had the urge to know her better. The urge to know more about her quirks and personality, for she seemed so much different than the other court ladies he had met in his time ruling. The urge to know why such an odd, unrefined wild flower interested him, so.

It wasn't until he returned to his quarters that he pulled out a piece of parchment and dutifully wrote upon its surface; _Sorry for the trouble. Next time I hope we can spend a bit more time together without being interrupted. There's still so much I don't know about you. -Kuze._

The letter was delivered immediately, by whatever staff would still be awake at such an hour.

As it were, he came to hope to reinforce his welcome to her. He made arrangements to send her gifts of furnishings – most notably a new mirror to replace the one broken the night before - and candy. They were to be delivered the next day, taken to her new home by Mikage. However, most importantly out of all those items, buried between the furnishing, was a beautifully crafted violin, in hopes her song would prove to be just as unique as she, herself, seemed to be by first intrigue.

* * *

**I have no bloody idea what this is going to be, but I've been playing too many Shall We Date games, and this is the result. BI**

**Anyways, woo, prologue! This shouldn't be a particularly long story of mine (seeing as I have many others to finish, omg!), but never say never. It depends how into it I get. And I love Kuze, so... 8D**

**I'm seriously going to be doing a lot of fanfiction for these games, anyways, because they just... they just don't exist and I don't know why. D: Why aren't there more SWD fics? No, I will not let this go! -pout-**

**So far I have my Ninja Love fic up (though it's more a bunch of one-shots, or it will be, once I update it kukuku), and my Prince Love one will be the next one to be placed up. I am going to be writing a story for each of the games, these three being the firsts. I'm excited for this!**

**By the way: I'm not going for historical accuracy or anything so forgive me if random things seem out of place with the Heian period. I mean, in-game they used PDAs to send one-another texts, I don't think I'll do anything that tops that. XD I tried to make -that- more realistic with the letter thing, at least. -sobsob-**

**Last random note: HAKDFJHASDG I SUCK AT FIGHT SCENES SO I'M SORRY IT WAS SHORT AND STUPID AND GOD THERE WON'T BE MANY OF THEM ANDAOHDFD**

**Okay, I'm done now, I apologize.**

**Anyways, thanks for those of you who have stumbled upon this story and read it. :3 Please do review, if you have the time. I would appreciate it, and it motivates me to get working on the next chapter! Which will no doubt be more fun than this silly introduction. ;D I don't plan on following the game word-by-word or action-by-action as I go along, trust me.**

**-Matron of Madness. C:**

**P.S. First person to catch the Hunger Games reference; I will legitimately take any Shall We Date couple from any game (EXCEPT Heian Love, I have not finished _all_ the characters) and write a one-shot of them with any scenario of your pleasing (sexual situations aside, however!). I couldn't help it. It's a lovely little quote.~ :)**


	2. The Violin Room

**Chapter I: The Violin Room**

* * *

Emperor Kuze saw Mikage off with outward indifference as he piled the furnishings onto a cart to be taken to the new court lady, his neck inclined regally. Though, in actuality, he had to withhold himself from smiling at his advisor's curious, almost somewhat mocking glances. Were it anyone else, it would have upset him, but there had always been something about the white-haired male that made his impish nature bearable. At least to a degree, at any rate. After everything was settled, said man cleared his throat, smirking as he drew the Emperor's attention from his thoughts. "Yes?"

"Might I inquire what you hope to gain by sending such lavish gifts to this girl?" Mikage was grinning, as if he knew the answer to some riddle unspoken, but Kuze only rose an eyebrow in silent inquiry, indicating for him to go on. "Ah, well, you see, I only find it strange. You have hardly given such an extraordinary welcome to any court lady that has joined us in quite some time."

At this, the Emperor released a sigh, glancing away from Mikage in thought. After some time, he pushed himself up from his seat on the side of the estate's porch, an expressionless look overtaking his features. "It is only an apology for what happened this previous night," he answered formally, approaching the other man. He pulled out a white letter, plainly sealed with no writing on the outside of the envelope. "Please take this with you and hand it over to Miss Suzuka personally to warn her I will be visiting later this evening."

Mikage seemed genuinely taken aback by this. He glanced from the letter to the Emperor before registering what had been said. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he took the note, still somehow managing to retain an impish grin despite the hardening of his expression. "I see. I will do as you ask." He bowed, any disdain gone from his features as a smirk took its place. He turned from Kuze and began to walk away from him, the cart following along behind him as if it were walking on its own.

The Emperor hummed quietly under his breath and shook his head at the peculiar sight before turning away from the outside world and reentering the large building. He passed by a few workers in the hall, all of whom stopped and gave him a bow before continuing on their way. Making it back to his room, he paused in his stride to his desk to glance at the parchment lying on the ground aside his pillow.

He walked over and picked it up, opening it to once more stare at the fine, yet slightly messy, ink-strokes upon the white surface. _Oh! You should not apologize. It was not within your control, Emperor Kuze. Still, thank you for the consideration. Your welcome here at any time... and sorry for the mess. -Mikase, Suzuka._

He studied the words once more, his eyes softening. What a peculiar response it had been. Generally, it was normal for him to be blamed for any disaster brought forth due to his presence, especially where women were concerned. And yet, this woman... He was startled from his thoughts by a knock on his door and turned to see it open without his consent. He immediately calmed, knowing the only person who would enter in such a fashion. There stood his brother, Sakuhito, smiling brightly.

"Hello, brother," he chimed, quickly striding forward to stand in front of him.

"Good morning." Kuze nodded to him, pressing his lips together. "How did you get here without anyone seeing you?"

"I have my ways." Sakuhito snickered, then glanced at the note his brother was holding in his hand. "Official business?" The Emperor startled at his words, then cleared his throat and muttered something under his breath before moving towards his desk, setting the parchment down next to a white candle. His brother seemed not to be phased by the odd reaction, apparently opting not to question him further.

"Is there something you needed?" Kuze turned to face him again, a look of curiosity coming over his usually business-oriented face.

"Ah – no, not I." Sakuhito scratched his cheek absently, then shrugged his shoulders. "Actually, I just wanted to drop by and make sure you were okay. I heard what happened last night." He frowned. "Another assassin?"

"I would seem so..." The Emperor frowned as a look of worry passed by his brother's face. He let out a small sigh and walked forward, settling his hand on his shoulder gently. "I will put a stop to it before long without so much as a scratch. You will see." He smiled, his business-like aurora dropping as a friendly smile came to his face. Sakuhito cheered up immediately and nodded, patting his arm.

"If you say it, then surely it is true! I almost feel bad for the man who has chosen to cross swords with you." He let out a good-natured laugh. Both of them froze, however, when they heard another knock on the door, followed by the mousy voice of a maid.

"Excuse me, Emperor, but it seems someone is here to speak with you..."

Kuze glanced at Sakuhito, then sighed. He bid him a silent farewell, then made his way into the hall, sure to keep his brother from sight as he did so. Duty called.

* * *

Late that night, Kuze found himself wandering the stone trails patterned around the buildings surroundings his estate. Already, he could see the home lent to Suzuka ahead. When he was within distance to catch a glimpse of the garden behind the house, he stopped to stare at it a moment before frowning. It was old, and had not been used in quite some time... No doubt, it would do well to have a gardener sent over to take care of it.

He thought of this for a moment as he approached the door, raising his hand to knock gently on the wooden surface. Without hesitation, it swung open only seconds later, the perky pink-haired woman from the night before standing there with a smile on her face. She dropped in a bow quickly. "Welcome, Emperor. Miss Mikase has been expecting you." She moved aside to let him enter, closing the door behind them.

She went ahead of him to inform the court lady of his arrival as he lagged behind, looking around the area as he followed. A little more space had been filled up, and more of the boxes had disappeared. There still wasn't much around, but it was no longer an empty home. It was very quaint, actually.

He hummed in the back of his throat, a mark of approval, before turning his attention in front of him as he came to the same room as the night before. No longer were there pictures thrown about left and right; however, there was a stack of them upon the table. "What? H-he actually came again!? Really?" Suzuka was sitting on the floor once more when he entered, but her gaze shifted from Hinata to him when she noticed his presence. Immediately, her face flushed, no doubt assuming he'd heard her words.

"You really must work on your manner of greeting visitors," he commented, though there was the faintest hint of amusement in his voice.

Quickly, she stumbled clumsily to her feet, brushing her hair out of the way. With a nervous bow, she smiled. "I apologize! A-ah... welcome back, Emperor." Once more, Hinata dismissed herself, leaving the two of them to retire for the night.

Kuze walked further into the room, studying her nervous stance. His gaze must've softened as he looked at her, because something about him had quickly made her calm her nerves and sit back upon the floor. Not bothered by the casual notion, he glanced around the room. He noticed the new mirror had taken the place of the broken one, and a few of the other furnishings he'd sent her were about as well. "Did you enjoy the gifts I sent?" he questioned, casually.

"Oh! Yes. It was very thoughtful of you. And the candy was amazing! I've never had such delicious- ah, I mean..." She stumbled over her words, then closed her mouth. Her hand immediately went up to toy with her hair.

He took his gaze down to her and tilted his head, surprised by his words. "Candy?" he asked incredulously. He raised an eyebrow at this statement. "Amongst all the fine furnishings I send you, it's the candy that you enjoy the most..."

Her cheeks slowly began to turn slightly rosy, her gaze dropping to the ground. "Yes, well, I... it was really good candy."

He stared at her for a moment, then, unable to hold it back, let a gentle smile come to his lips. "I see. That is... refreshing," he commented, his voice quiet. His gaze locked on her in something akin to wonder. She fretted under the sudden kindness in his gaze, tugging at her strand of hair a little more fervently.

"Well..." she tried to start on another train of thought, but ended up halting, her eyes widening. "Oh, right! You sent the violin too, did you not?" Her gaze snapped up to him suddenly, her embarrassed expression replaced with an innocent excitement. "I cannot thank you enough, Emperor. I – I... when I saw it... I just – thank you."

"...You are welcome," he responded, the wonder still in his gaze even as he tried to revert back to his usual expression. "I hope you will entertain the thought of playing for me some day, if you wish to thank me properly."

"Huh?" Her eyes widened before a bright smile came over her features. "I-I'd love to! Once I get some more practice in, that is." She giggled, her demeanor taking on that of an excited child. He nodded in satisfaction, accepting her response.

Kuze opted to finally seat himself, moving over by the wall to sit upon the floor. He propped his arm up, resting his hand under his chin as he watched her. She looked surprised, then opened her mouth, eyeing a cushion nearby, perhaps with the intent to offer it to him. However, before she could get a word in, he spoke, "I do believe we still have the matter of the poem to discuss, do we not? Have you made any progress in figuring out who it may be from?"

Suzuka blinked, giving one last look at the cushion, before shaking her head slowly. "No... none. I've thought about it, but I honestly can't imagine anyone around here looking at me in that way."

He leaned further on his hand, grunting. "Why is that?"

Her face flushed at his question, and she fidgeted on her 'seat' for a moment before answering. "Well... I suppose I just cannot imagine anyone in this place having feelings like the ones that are expressed in the poem – not towards me, that is. I'm certainly not a high class woman... nor very refined. There are many other women here that are far better suited for the men here."

She paused, getting a thoughtful look. Then, suddenly, she smiled wistfully. "Not that I mean to insult the sender of the poem. Such kind and beautiful words are to be cherished with respect and admiration."

The Emperor stared at her once more, his head no longer resting against his hand. At first startled, it was after a moment that his expression settled into a thoughtful, neutral look. She tilted her head at him curiously. "...You truly are a wild flower, aren't you?" he said after a moment, but his voice was soft, far from insulting.

Her eyes widened at his words, followed by a sheepish smile. "U-um..." She seemed as if she did not know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment. She'd certainly called herself unrefined on her own, but perhaps it had been him that had originally planted that thought into her mind.

He studied her as that thought hit him, his lips pressing together. "There are too few wild flowers here, Miss Suzuka." That was all he said on the matter, but she seemed to accept that as a good thing, because her expression settled back into the same shy, content look that seemed to be her default aurora when company was around her. He paused before continuing. "You truly have no idea who sent it, then?"

She shook her head. "No..."

Kuze looked away from her briefly in thought, then nodded. "I see... then, I do hope this mystery will come to its close, in that case. I will continue to visit you as time permits me until it is taken care of." He flashed her a brief smile, then slowly stood from his place against the wall. He walked to stand in front of her and offered a hand to her. She stared at it curiously before accepting it; she was light, and he was able to pull her up with ease.

"Do you have any music for the violin currently in your possession?" he questioned, releasing her hand after a brief hesitation to make sure she had her balance. She nodded, pushing a few messy locks from her eyes.

"Yes; I brought all I owned. Do you know how to read music, Emperor?"

"Mm. A little. May I see what songs you have?" She seemed excited by his question, no doubt happy to have anyone inquire about her hobby. He had a feeling her current state of happiness had little to do with the person asking just happening to be the Emperor, and for a moment, he found himself wanting to smile childishly along with her. She asked him to follow her and showed him to another room; a considerably smaller room meant to be used as a servant room if need be.

Inside, there was a single chair in the middle, a stand with sheet music sprawled across it, and a violin propped carefully off to the side. He felt a sense of pride at seeing the violin he had sent her had already been in use, if the bow lying across the stand were any indication. He followed her in where a small box containing various papers lay in wait next to the chair. She bent down, shifting through it for a while before finding what she wanted.

"Most of the music I play has a folk sound to it," she explained, her voice softening as she spoke. "I do other styles, too, though." He took the papers from her hands and looked over them, a spark of interest in his eyes. He thumbed through them slowly, unable to really read them all that well, but curious of their sound nonetheless.

"They must sound beautiful," he noted, glancing up at her every so often. She was staring adoringly at the violin she had propped up. He paused flipping through the music to examine her. She gave him a knowing smile and nodded, confirming his words. "May I ask what sparked your interest in music?"

"My father." She wandered around the room aimlessly, studying the make of it. "He was a busy man, but he still made time for me. He bought me a violin to give me something to do while he was out so that I would not be bored on my own. Pretty soon, I was addicted to it, and he encouraged me endlessly. He never failed to listen to new pieces that I learned when I asked him to do so."

She paused in her speaking, her gaze faltering slightly. Kuze noticed and frowned. He had known her father; perhaps not as well as he should have, however. Her family had not been all that high in the hierarchy, after all. "He sounds like he was a good father."

"Oh, he was the best." Happiness returned to her gaze, and curiously, the Emperor immediately felt relieved. He noticed her yawn quickly after her retort and set the papers back into their box.

"I apologize. It seems I've stayed a little long, haven't I? You should rest for the night, Miss Suzuka." She glanced at him, then nodded sheepishly, turning to follow him out as he exited her music room. He stopped to face her once they had made their way to the entrance doorway. "I thank you for having me tonight."

She blinked in surprise, then shook her head. "Uh – no, no! Thank you for taking time to visit me like this, Emperor. It's truly an honor to have you here... um, despite my terrible welcomes. I will work on that."

In spite of himself, he found another smile forming on his lips. "I see. Then, I look forward to receiving more greetings from you." The insinuation that he intended to back up his word to continue to visit her seemed to cause her to fluster, but she kept a calm, warm look on her face.

"I look forward to giving them." She bowed to him, respectfully. "I hope you have a good night, Emperor."

"Hm." Kuze studied her yet again, and certainly not for the last time, as his mind reeled at her odd behavior. To any other, they would seem like simple responses that should not be thought about twice. But he was the Emperor; it was not like a woman to act so... normal around him. "You as well... Miss Suzuka," he murmured, still very much lost in thought as he bid her farewell and exited her household.

He stared up at the sky as he walked, bringing an arm up to rest his hand beneath his chin. "Refreshing." It had been the perfect descriptor for her, indeed. No doubt the other court ladies would say her behavior was rude or disrespectful.

Once he returned to his room, he once again took a moment to write a quick letter to her, feeling it necessary to do so, though he knew not why. _Thank you once more for allowing me to spend time in your home. I look forward to hearing your music one day, Miss Suzuka. I'm sure it is indeed beautiful. -Kuze._

He knew it would seem odd to others for his interest to pique in such a way for a court lady, of all people. Yet, without his consent, his intrigue had grown again.

A wild flower amongst a field of those who wore masks...

* * *

**Woo! Chapter 2, done. And in time for Valentine's day, too!**

**Writing Emperor Kuze is so much fun. I just love him so much. Gah! Kaljfakdshg -grabby hands-**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I would write more author notes here, but I wrote this at two in the morning, and I'm tired. XD  
****Such is the way of my writing, it seems.**

**Reviews/favs/etc and constructive criticism are always welcome! Especially where characterization is concerned. OTL**

**-Matron of Madness**

**P.S. Regarding the MC's back story, I may or may not change it a little where the game was concerned. Mostly because I'd like to have more detail to it than the game gave, that is. Just so you know!**

**Thanks for reading!**


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